The Moon Still Shines
by Ixae
Summary: She rested her hand gently on his face, hoping to soothe his thrashing and shouting. "Yue..." he murmured softly. Suki/Sokka, hints of Sokka/Yue


This is my first fic for Avatar, so it may be a little OOC. Sorry if that happens.

My favourite Avatar pairing is Sokka/Suki, but I also really love Yue, and the love triangle it creates even though it wasn't touched on much in the show. I really like reading stories with Sokka/Suki, and a bit of Yue, but it always seems that they end up somehow making Yue very accepting. I mean, I get it, but I just feel like she deserves a bit more credit. She did love Sokka. So, I wrote this in the hopes that it shows a_ little_ more of Yue being sad about it, although I don't think I pulled it off well at all. She originally was just going to be hinted at throughout and not make a real appearance, but that's not what ended up happening. I'm afraid that that might have taken away the main part of what this story was supposed to be like, but I hope it still turned out okay.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

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><p><em>The Moon Still Shines<em>

Suki woke up to a kick in the legs. She grumbled as her mind was slowly cleared of sleep and the lovely dream she was having. If Sokka was waking her up just to talk because he was bored, _again_, she swore she would—

Another kick, this time to her lower back, had her upright in a second. "Sokka!" she yelled, swivelling around to give him the scolding of his life. The words died in her throat, however, when she saw him.

He was thrashing about as if he were fighting (or a frog-snake was slithering up his leg, she thought with a smirk, though it quickly slid off her face as worry took over) and his face was covered with sweat. He murmured incoherently but his almost-words seemed desperate and distressed. Was he in a nightmare about the war?

The war, newly dubbed the Century War, had only ended a few months prior. Zuko, now Fire Lord, was busy trying to fix what his predecessors had done. Suki couldn't help but laugh as the hot-headed firebender, who had never been very good with politics, was stuck in war meetings day after day. Luckily Mai was there to keep him from burning down the buildings. Aang, as the Avatar, had taken on the duty of settling problems around the world, accompanied by Katara and Toph. Sokka and Suki had been offered the chance to go with them, but Suki had begun to miss the other Kyoshi Warriors and stayed behind despite the fun she had had journeying with them, and Sokka had decided to stay with her for fear of being separated again.

A kick to the ribs quickly halted her reminiscing, and she watched worriedly as Sokka seemed to be getting more and more frantic, now almost yelling his nonsense to someone who wasn't there. She rested her hand gently on his face, hoping to soothe his thrashing and shouting. He instantly seemed to relax, for which she felt relieved.

"Yue..." he murmured softly.

Suki froze. _Yue...?_

After much persistence she had finally gotten Sokka to reveal why he seemed sad or regretful at times, and why he was always uncomfortable being near her under the light of the moon. She had to admit, she was rather jealous when she had first heard of Sokka's former lover, but as he told her the tragic ending she was angry with herself for thinking poorly of Yue. From what Sokka had said, Yue was very kind and gentle, and strongly dedicated to her people. Still, Suki could not help feeling that she was nothing but a replacement for Yue, even if she knew Sokka wasn't like that. But just the thought of having only half of Sokka's attention...

...it crushed her inside.

Tears pricked at her eyes as she watched Sokka, now murmuring quietly and his face full of relief. No doubt he was dreaming that Yue had decided to stay with him. Her hand slipped off his face as she stood and silently left the room.

_- X - x - X -_

"_NO! Don't go! Please...!"_

_He struggled to pull her back. He couldn't let this happen again. He _swore _he'd never let this happen again. There was no way he'd be able to live with himself if he made the same mistake twice._

Just a bit farther..._Pull_, Sokka, _pull_...!

_But it was too late. His love's hand slipped from his grip. He reached out to grab her again, but he fell short by the slightest inch. He watched helplessly as she turned and gave him one last, sweet smile before fading._

_Tears slipped from his eyes and trailed down his face, lit by the moon's bright glow. He couldn't bite back the sobs that came out, nor could he fight the uncontrollable shaking of his body. She was gone, and he couldn't save her. He was weak and pathetic, just as he had been before. He bit down hard on his tongue, fists clenching as a thin trail of blood leaked from between his lips._

_He stiffened slightly as a soft hand brushed the side of his face, and a gentle presence wrapped itself around him, stilling his quivers. The presence both comforted and saddened him. "Yue...I don't know what to do. I promised I'd never let anything like that happen to her. It was bad enough it had to happen to you..."_

_He felt his gaze being shifted by the spirit, towards where his lover had disappeared._

"_Go after her? ...She's gone. It won't make a difference."_

_He felt himself being nudged forward slightly, as the gentle presence faded, along with his consciousness._

Sokka woke with a start. He blinked, his eyes adjusting quickly to the dim lighting as he recalled his dream. Worried, he rolled over, expecting to see Suki sleeping safe and sound beside him.

The other side of the bed was empty.

Apprehension began to take over. His mind still not fully awake, he feared the events of his dream had come true. He had to find Suki.

He searched the entire house in a mere five minutes (the houses on Kyoshi Island were notoriously small) and found no trace of Suki anywhere. Sokka had since returned to logic and common sense, and knew—more like _hoped_—his dream had been just that, and not a forewarning of events yet to come.

But whether or not his dream was reality, the fact still remained that Suki was nowhere in sight. He supposed it was plausible she had gone for a midnight stroll, but he was certain the least she would have done is left a note in case, such as now, he woke up to notice she was missing.

Moonlight trickled in from a nearby window, and he gazed solemnly up at the moon. _I swore it would never happen again..._

The moon sparkled brighter, and something in his gut told him to check the roof.

_- X - x - X -_

Suki shivered and drew her arms closer around her knees as a breeze ruffled her hair and clothes. She hated the fact that she had hidden out on the roof because she couldn't stand to be too far from Sokka. She should have just left. He wouldn't miss her, anyway. He would be too busy mourning over _Yue_.

She flinched, just as another breeze blew past. She shouldn't be using Yue's name so reproachfully. Even if she was jealous and upset that Sokka cared so much for her, Yue herself was a kind and gentle girl. It was wrong of her to be hurling insults at her, when she wasn't the one to blame. It was Sokka she should be angry with.

But even as she thought of all the times he had upset her, she felt only love. She could never truly be mad at him, even if he outright abandoned her.

She heard his footsteps clambering up the ladder to the roof long before she heard his voice. "Suki..."

She made sure not to face him. Whatever he was going to say, she didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to hear _him_.

"Thank goodness you're alright; I was worried sick about you." He came and sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders which she quickly slapped away.

"Oh, really?" She hadn't intended to sound so rude, but the words were out before she could stop them. "Shouldn't you be worried about Yue?"

"Yue?" he repeated, with a cautious glance at the moon. "What does she have to do with this?"

"...I heard you say her name in your sleep." Since when was she suddenly scared? She should be _angry_! But for some reason, she couldn't muster up any form of rage. She was left with a growing pool of fear swirling in her stomach and making her feel nauseous.

Sokka was silent, and when she looked over at him his face was turned away from her, looking up at the moon. She quickly turned away and glared in the opposite direction. Of course he would be glancing at the moon, at _her_.

The nausea was building inside of her.

She sensed him turn towards her. "Suki..."

She squeezed her eyes shut against what he was about to say, feeling the tears start to form. She would _not_ cry about this. It was hardly worth her time. If Sokka still loved Yue, it was no business of hers. So _why_ did the swirling pool of nausea inside her feel like it was about to burst?

"Suki...I was dreaming about you."

_That_ was certainly not what she was expecting to hear.

Sokka wrapped his arm around her again, and this time she didn't resist. He sighed deeply before he continued. "Look...I used to love Yue...and a part of me probably always will." She tensed; he sensed this and quickly went on. "But Yue's gone, and what happened back at the North Pole can't be changed. I love _you_, Suki."

The tears were pricking at her eyes again. "So I'm just a replacement?"

"Suki..."

"No. I'm not going to stand for being second-best. If you still love Yue, that's fine with me. But don't expect me to sit here while you try to make up your mind between her and me."

She stood, despite his protests, and leapt down from the roof. Sokka tried to pursue her, but being less agile he had to use the ladder, giving Suki a good head start. She managed to get far enough ahead to turn a corner before he noticed, and while she hid behind a rock she watched as he ran right past her. After waiting a moment to make sure he was out of hearing range, she dashed off in another direction.

She arrived at one of Kyoshi Island's most remote locations, and a personal hiding place when she felt like getting away from people or her warrior duties. It wasn't all that impressive, just a tree-shielded cliff overlooking the village, but it was a place few knew how to get to and fewer bothered to try.

Once she was sure she was alone, she let her tears fall freely. She hated feeling so upset over the issue, when it was hardly a big deal. She should be glad Sokka loved her at all, and Yue was a kind girl who didn't deserve her jealousy. Still, she couldn't halt her mixed feelings of anger, sadness, and betrayal that swirled around within her. Eventually she exhausted herself and fell asleep, under the gaze of the moon.

_Suki woke up not knowing where she was. She tried to look around, but the shapes around her seemed to blur as she tried to decipher them. The only thing she saw clearly was the moon, shining brightly above her._

"_Oh...it's you again," she murmured as she looked away, somewhere between jealousy and guilt. She felt gentle hands tilting her face upward, to stare into the gentle gaze of Yue._

"_You are troubled." It was a statement, with no hint of a possible denial._

_She averted her gaze, feeling guilt wash over her. "I..."_

"_Sokka loves you. You know that."_

"_I know, but..." She trailed off, not sure what she had been about to say._

"_If there is no denying it, then what is the problem?"_

"_What about you?" Suki blurted out, before she could stop and think of what she was going to say. "Sokka still loves you, too. If he stays with me, will you really be okay with that?"_

_Her face was as gentle and calm as ever, but her eyes betrayed the sadness and conflict she felt within. "My time with him is over. There is no rewriting the past, and we cannot be together with the way things are."_

"_But you..."_

"_Even though it pains me that I cannot be with Sokka, it hurts much more to see him so miserable without you."_

_The response appeased her to some extent, though she felt an undeniable sorrow for the spirit before her, who was willing to give up her happiness for Suki's. "I...thank you," she responded, unsure of what else she could say that would offer her any comfort._

"_So long as he is happy, so am I," she affirmed, more to herself than Suki. She smiled softly as she faded away._

"_He is waiting for you...Suki..."_

"Suki...? Suki!"

She felt a pair of hands gently shake her awake. She opened her eyes to see Sokka's face inches from her own, worry mingling with relief in his brilliant blue eyes.

"I finally found you! Suki, I am _so_ sorry for hurting you like that, I should have realized saying I still loved Yue was a stupid move, and then I had to talk like you're my second choice, which you're not, I mean, I still do love Yue but I don't want you thinking I chose you only because Yue's gone, so if you really want to leave then I guess I can't stop you but I don't want you thinking that I don't love you because I do, and I—"

She pressed her lips to his, fulfilling her desires and effectively shutting him up in one move. Two birds with one stone.

"You talk too much," she murmured as she pulled away, a soft smile on her lips. She giggled quietly as she watched Sokka's dumbfounded expression shift to gleeful and then begin conflicting between the two, before settling on uncertainty.

"But...I thought you were upset," he replied, eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"I was...but I realized I was being selfish," she explained. Suki decided not to tell him about meeting Yue. She felt that it would only cause more conflicts and misunderstandings. All that mattered was making Sokka happy, for him and for Yue. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

Suki knew that Sokka didn't believe her, but he didn't question her further. Instead he stood and extended his hand to her, which she took gratefully.

"Come on, let's go back home."

Sokka turned and led her in the direction of her home. He held tightly on to her hand, showing no signs of letting go. Suki's lips curled into a small smile, her eyes misted over as she gazed up at the moon. _I promise I'll always try to make him happy._

She squeezed his hand gently, and he squeezed back.


End file.
